Contents

Can You See Me Now? Verizon's new mobile TV system, launched on March 1 in 20 cities and being spread nationwide, isn't actually run by Verizon, and it doesn't use cell-phone signals. It's run by a company called MediaFLO USA, a spinoff of tech giant Qualcomm, and it broadcasts eight digital video channels on what used to be TV's UHF channel 55.

MediaFLO has two major breakthroughs for mobile TV watchers. First and foremost, it works like TV. Pressing a button on your phone pops up an easy-to-read program guide that lets you plan your viewing up to a day in advance. You can then drop into a channel and watch it on the full screen. Switching channels takes two seconds.

The other key is smart programming. Previously, mobile TV has either shown exactly what's on TV at the moment or a seemingly random jumble of clips and programs. That's dumb, because the prime times for watching TV on the runlunch hour and commuting timeare not when the best TV shows are broadcast. MediaFLO's program guide mixes up networks' most popular programs so that there's usually something on that you want to watch. It goes cross-cultural, too: The MediaFLO NBC channel isn't just NBC; it also has Bravo programs such as Top Chef. The FOX channel also has FOX News and FOX Sports.  next: MediaFLO To Go?

PCMag.com's lead mobile analyst, Sascha Segan, has reviewed hundreds of smartphones, tablets and other gadgets in more than 9 years with PCMag. He's the head of our Fastest Mobile Networks project, one of the hosts of the daily PCMag Live Web show and speaks frequently in mass media on cell-phone-related issues. His commentary has appeared on ABC, the BBC, the CBC, CNBC, CNN, Fox News, and in newspapers from San Antonio, Texas to Edmonton, Alberta.
Segan is also a multiple award-winning travel writer, having contributed...
More »